Toronto After Dark Film Fest: 5 Films We’re Stoked to See

The Toronto After Dark Film Festival (known as TADFF) has announced their full roster of films for the 2018 lineup (running October 11-19), and there are some choice cuts this year.

Toronto After Dark runs annually in Toronto, Ontario (Canada), bringing nine nights of horror, sci-fi, and action. As with their 2017 Festival, I will attend and report back to share the scares (to our local or visiting readers, I hope to see you there! Come find me!).

I’ve listed the top 5 films I cannot wait to see (click on each title for the trailer). This… was a difficult choice. And maybe I cheated a little bit. Which is fine.

You can find a full list of the 18 titles playing at this year’s festival over at TADFF’s website.

via TADFF

TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID (Mexico) Toronto PremiereDirector – Issa Lopez“With her latest feature film, director Issa Lopez perfectly balances the the harsh reality and fantastic nightmares of the street children of Mexico. Part PAN’S LABYRINTH, part CITY OF GOD, this creepy Guillermo del Toro-esque fairytale is about a young girl whose supernatural intuition leads her to form an alliance with a gang of orphaned boys. A critically acclaimed winner of over 20 film festival awards.”Tigers Are Not Afraid was one of Guillermo Del Toro’s top films of 2017, and it looks stunning.

via TADFF

THE RANGER (USA) Toronto PremiereDirector – Jenn Wexler“Jenn Wexler’s SXSW film fest hit is a good old fashioned crowd-pleasing throwback to 80s slasher movies, with the added bonus of a kick-ass punk soundtrack! A bunch of teen punks head off for some mayhem in the woods. It’s not long before they come up against the local authority – an unhinged park ranger with a serious axe to grind – and they’re in a bloody fight for their lives!”Read our review by Jacob Davison!

via TADFF

SATAN’S SLAVES (Indonesia) Special PresentationDirector – Joko Anwar“One of the scariest films of the year, Indonesian maestro Joko Anwar’s (MODUS ANOMALI) latest horror sensation has become a massive box office hit in Asia! In this supernatural haunting tale, a family is terrorized by demonic forces including the spirit of their recently deceased mother. “
I love this trailer. Satan’s Slaves looks terrifying, and I am 100% here for it.

via IMDb

OVERLORD (USA) Canadian Premiere
Director – Julius Avery“With only hours until D-Day, a team of American paratroopers drop into Nazi-occupied France to carry out a mission that’s crucial to the invasion’s success. Tasked with destroying a radio transmitter atop a fortified church, the desperate soldiers join forces with a young French villager to penetrate the walls and take down the tower. But, in a mysterious Nazi lab beneath the church, the outnumbered G.I.s come face-to-face with enemies unlike any the world has ever seen. From producer J.J. Abrams, OVERLORD is a thrilling, pulse-pounding action adventure with a twist.”Overlord looks viciously, deliciously fun. I’ve heard nothing but good things out of its American premiere at Fantastic Fest, so Canadian genre fans are going to want to get in on this one.

via IMDb

YOU MIGHT BE THE KILLER (USA) International Premiere
Director – Brett Simmons“YOU MIGHT BE THE KILLER is one of the smartest and funniest horror films you will see this year! In the middle of the night, a remote summer camp counselor Sam (CABIN IN THE WOODS’ Fran Kranz) calls up Chuck (BUFFY’s Alyson Hannigan), his best friend back home, in a blind panic! Sam’s surrounded by brutally killed fellow counselors and worried there’s an axe-wielding psycho on the loose! Luckily Chuck’s well-versed in slasher movie tropes and she leads Sam through all the necessary steps to survive the night. At the same time they try to identify the actual killer. With great banter between two delightful leads, a brutal killer in the woods, and lots of clever bloody twists, YOU MIGHT BE THE KILLER is a horror fan’s delight!”Fran Kranz! Alyson Hannigan! You Might Be the Killer looks like the perfect love letter to the slasher subgenre.

Bonus entry:MEGA TIME SQUAD (New Zealand) Toronto PremiereDirector – Tim van Dammen“In this sci-fi comedy hit from New Zealand, a small-town criminal tries to use an ancient time travel device to defeat a brutal local crime boss. It’s soon clear that time travel has unintended consequences and can create as many problems as its solves! Don’t miss an absolute crowd-pleaser from some of the same people who previously worked on the festival hit, DEATHGASM!”
Is this a horror film? No. Do I care? No. Mega Time Squad looks fun as hell.

The Toronto After Dark Film Festival runs October 11-19. You can keep an eye out for the full schedule and single ticket sales on their website.

Kelly lives in Canada with her large, fuzzy dog and a collection of horror movies, which she is a little obsessed with. Check out her Creepy Crafter videos or follow her on IG and Twitter @kellsmcnells